1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to the handling of shell bearing shrimp body parts and more particularly to apparatuses for orienting the shrimp body parts and for handling and eviscerating such shrimp body parts.
2. Description of Prior Art
The evisceration procedures for removing the digestive tracts of uncooked and shell bearing shrimp normally involve the cutting of the shell longitudinally along the dorsal or back side of the shrimp body part. Typical of the procedures and apparatuses involved in processing of shrimp in this manner are those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,626,701; 2,960,719; and 2,971,215. Rock shrimp have shells which are much harder than most shrimp and evisceration procedures for processing this type of shrimp have involved a cutting of the shrimp along the under or ventral side as depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 3,867,740.
Most of the processing procedures contemplate a deheading and removal of the legs from the shrimp body parts before the shell bearing body part is processed for the removal of the digestive tract. Furthermore, all of the evisceration procedures known to the applicant involve a special orientation of the shrimp body part in either a tail or head leading position on the carrier for transporting the body part through the cutting mechanism used in the eviscerating apparatus. The orientation of the shrimp body part on the carrier is usually done manually since most of the carrier systems employed in the transportation of the shrimp body parts through the cutting and washing mechanisms of the apparatuses are not suited to the use of automatic delivery systems.
One of the problems which is encountered in the evisceration procedures is that of coping with the curled body part of the uncooked shrimp. In those cases where the body part traverses a linear path through the cutting mechanism, the curled body part is straightened before passing through the cutting mechanism whereas in other apparatuses, the body part is caused to traverse an arcuate path through the cutting mechanism so that the procedure for uncurling or straightening the body part may be avoided. Apparatuses that convey the body part along an arcuate path are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,960,719 and 2,971,215; whereas those involving a linear path of movement through the cutting mechanism are exemplified by the apparatuses shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,626,701 and 3,867,740.